Invictus: The Redux
by chocolatemud14
Summary: Having just returned home from LA, Peyton's life is altered further with the arrival of her 16 year old cousin. The change brings great joy, yet drama looms. With Brooke and the rest of the Tree Hillers by her side, Peyton finds a maternal strength she never knew she had, while harboring a deep love for a certain Scott Brother. Season 5. Peyton-centric, LP. **UNABLE TO COMPLETE**
1. Prologue

**OK. Call this a "test run," if you will. I finally have some more time to work on this story, and I would like to present the prologue to you all and "see how it does." Your feedback has always been important to me, but now especially so.**

 **You'll find parts of this piece's backbone are the same from the previous attempt, and yet, other parts are rather different. I don't want to give anything away, so you'll just have to take a chance on me and find out what happens.**

 **Invictus: The Redux**

Prologue 

_Out of the night that covers me,_

 _Black as the pit from pole to pole,_

 _I thank whatever gods may be_

 _For my unconquerable soul._

She traced each letter in this particular stanza of her favorite poem, as the ink sank into the pages of her bound journal. The sounds of scattered car horns, people laughing, and police sirens pierced the summer night. The faint dripping in the pipes by the radiator in her bedroom hit like a metronome.

She sighed, closed her journal shut. The back of her neck ached from being hunched over, and she rubbed it with the palm of her hand. She turned and saw her neatly made bed, eager to fall into it as the hour reached 2am. Though, it seemed that the night and the moon and the powers above had other plans, when a noise that resembled glass breaking echoed up from downstairs. With equal amounts of caution and curiosity, the 16 year old crept to the staircase, sat on the top step. Sure enough, plates were hitting the floor in a rhythm, and shards went everywhere. The culprit and his lumbering steps moved to the parlor, where he began opening doors and breaking more things.

After taking a deep, cleansing breath, she made her way downstairs to find him in front of her mother's curio. He was hunched over, and his large ratty pants hung loosely around his waist. He reeked of alcohol.

"What are you doing?"

He turned over, his eyes lost, distant, empty. He straightened up, held a glass figurine of Popeye the sailor that was her mother's favorite. In a sudden movement, he threw the figurine to the floor, and it smashed to pieces.

"Stop!" She jumped back to avoid the glass, but really wanted to lunge at him. "Why did you do that?!"

"She...she bankrupted me!"

"No she didn't." She ran up to him and tugged at his arm, begged for him to stop, but at 6'3, he towered over her. He placed his large, fat hand on her shoulder and pushed, sending her a few steps back. "Don't touch me!" He looked at her, and the corners of his dry lips began to twitch "She didn't bankrupt you. Maybe if you didn't spend so much goddamn money on booze and women, you wouldn't be so fucking broke."

Anger seeped into his brown eyes like a flood. He pointed his fat finger at her. He no longer wore his wedding band, but his hand was probably too swollen to wear it, anyway. "You shut the fuck up."

"No! I won't! You're the one breaking shit at two in the morning. You think wrecking her stuff is gonna lure her back here?! You're deluded."

"No, YOU are!" He shouted, sending chills down her neck. "You don't know why she left."

She scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "She left _because of you."_ She looked him over, how his bare chest glistened with sweat, his bulged belly that made him waddle when he walked from all the excess weight. The hair atop his head was long, already almost fully gray because graying early ran in his family. Memories of her childhood ran through her head, as instances of nights reading together dissolved into him drooling in front of the television screen. "Because _you're an EMBARRASSMENT!"_

"You're the embarrassment!" he said, his drunken stupor causing him to nearly trip over his own feet and fall to the floor.

"That doesn't make any sense. Figures, since you're insanely drunk. So pathetic. Just go to sleep already, Dad."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Peyton walked up to the main entrance of the house she shared with Brooke, and she froze upon seeing who awaited her. "Oh my God..."

"Hey."

"Sophia, how'd you get here? Are you OK?!"

Sophia Bennett stood, shoved her journal in her backpack, and fell into Peyton's hug. "I'm fine now," she said, as she inhaled her comforting scent. "I should've called beforehand."

"You're my cousin," Peyton said, still in semi-disbelief that she was standing in front of her. She'd gotten so big, looked so mature. "You don't have to call." Peyton fished through her purse for her house keys. "Come, come in." She hurriedly opened the door, ushered Sophia inside. She illuminated the duplex in light, and she saw that Sophia seemed a bit wary as she set down her backpack and duffle bag. Peyton gestured to her couch. "Come sit. Can I get you something to drink? Water?"

"I'm good." Sophia sank into the couch cushions, rested her hands on her thighs. Her strawberry blonde hair fell past her shoulders now. Freckles dusted her face. Her eyes were a light green, a softer shade than Peyton's eyes. "So I'm guessing Uncle Larry didn't call you. Right?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Well for one, you would have known or had some inkling as to why I just appeared on your doorstep."

Peyton sat next to her cousin on the couch. "What happened?"

Sophia blew out a breath of air. "My dad and I got into an argument. Things escalated. He didn't hit me or touch me or anything," she added hurriedly. "But it was bad enough that I called Uncle Larry. Seeing as he's always on a boat somewhere, and doesn't really have a home, I thought it wouldn't accomplish much to go and see him."

"So you thought you'd come and see me?" Peyton finished.

Sophia blew out a breath of air. "Yes," she answered, her voice muted to a whisper. "I just can't stay there right now, Peyton. I was wondering if I could crash here for a while." She watched her cousin as she thought it over. "It's OK if I can't," she said. "I mean, no pressure at all. Seriously."

Peyton grabbed Sophia's hand, warm to the touch. "Of course you can stay," she said. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Relief washed over Sophia's face. "Cool," she said. "Cool."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

 _Do you remember my cousin Sophia? She's currently asleep in our living room. Just so you don't freak out when you see someone on the pull out bed._

So read the text sent to Brooke's phone as she spent yet another late night preparing for the opening of her first boutique in Tree Hill. So many things had to be done, and there wasn't a lot of time to do them in. Although, the text was enough to break her concentration and make her stop what she was doing. Shocked wasn't enough to describe what she was feeling, and she couldn't call Peyton because it was so late. Instead, she texted back her best friend with her usual amount of wit and cleverness:

 _OK. There'll be an explanation tomorrow, I'm assuming?_

 _For the both of us._

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Just as she expected, Peyton didn't sleep much the rest of the night. She tossed and turned, eyes opening every few minutes. It turned out that Larry had texted and called Peyton, but she didn't hear her phone go off in noisy TRIC. As she lay there, thoughts of Sophia filled her mind: their time together spent in New York City when Peyton was in high school and would babysit during some vacations; holidays; summers Sophia would come visit in Tree Hill.

When Peyton moved out to Los Angeles to intern with Sire Records, she didn't see Sophia as much, once in a while they would talk on the phone on Christmas or Thanksgiving, or on each other's birthdays. The guilt appeared every so often, she would admit. Of course, she craved a more than adequate explanation of why and how Sophia appeared on her doorstep, details included–but she didn't want to overwhelm her before she even settled in. Scenarios and imagined scenes of what occurred between Sophia and her father played through Peyton's head, each scene worse than the last.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

That morning, Sophia woke up to the sounds of the Keurig brewing a cup of coffee, and she vacated the couch bed to greet Peyton in the kitchen.

"Good morning," she said. "I'm sorry for waking you. Go back to sleep!"

"Don't worry about it." Sophia perched herself up on the counter stool, resting her elbows on the granite counter. "Got any extra coffee back there?"

"You drink coffee now?"

"Afraid so," Sophia said with a smirk. "You won't be corrupting me by giving me coffee; I promise. ….I'm already corrupted."

"Oh God," Peyton said, to the sounds of Sophia chuckling. She reached for the collection of Keurig pods next to the brewer and grabbed one, loaded it into the machine and grabbed a mug from the cabinet. As the coffee brewed, Peyton took a sip of her own beverage. "So."

"So," Sophia echoed. "What's up?"

"Are we gonna talk some more?" Peyton handed Sophia her mug of coffee so that the teenager could at least have some caffeine in her before they got into the big questions.

"About what?"

Peyton knew that her cousin was trying to appear nonchalant, and she wasn't having it. "Soph..."

"OK," Sophia breathed. "Sorry." She blew a breath of air onto her black coffee to cool it down. "What do you wanna know?"

Peyton swallowed. She heard the drip of the faucet water as it hit the sink below, the rumble of the ice maker in the freezer. Everyday sounds she often regarded as too ordinary were now pronounced, ominous even. "...What did you and your dad fight about?"

Sophia hung her head back, brushed a piece of her hair behind her right ear. "A lot." She swallowed, and added with a chilling coolness to her voice, "….You know my dad's an alcoholic, right?"

Her frankness was what shocked Peyton the most, not the fact that her uncle David Bennett had an abusive relationship with alcohol–of course she knew that. It was just one of those topics, those facts that remained under the surface that nobody discussed. Peyton honestly thought it was nonsense, but she remembered that her father Larry was always adamant about keeping it that way for some reason. She knew that her status as a teenager at the time left her ill-equipped to truly change the situation in any way. "I did know that," she finally said.

Sophia nodded. "For the longest time, I thought it was normal that my father spent almost every evening at our neighborhood shit hole drinking himself into a stupor. _Normal._ It wasn't until my freshman biology teacher–who taught me _last year,_ I might add–sat me down and asked me what my dad was doing every night at a bar–we were pretty close, so she was allowed to ask me something like that–and I said to myself, _oh_ _fuck_ _._ That's...years of being accustomed and used to witnessing his rages, dealing with his emotional neglect…." She paused, and Peyton was hanging onto her every word. "You see how you're acting so shocked? It's because Uncle Larry wouldn't intervene or even discuss his loser brother-in-law."

"I'm not...I'm not shocked because of _that_ , Sophia. I know my father kept things under the rug, and to be honest with you, I never agreed with how he handled it. I wish I could change things for you. Really."

"It's not your fault," she said. "It's my dad's. I just...got sick of it and needed a break, that's all." Sophia took another sip of her coffee. "What have you got planned for today, then?"

Slightly taken aback by Sophia's quick change of the subject, Peyton had to had regroup for a moment. The question was a tough one. Since quitting her job in LA before moving back home, Peyton hadn't really found an alternative. Thus, she had to be creative with how she occupied her days. "Job hunting."

"Fun," Sophia said. "I think I might go exploring for a bit."

A pair of hands reached around and covered Sophia's eyes. She patted them, felt the expensive rings and bracelets and said, "Brooke?" Sure enough when she spun around, Brooke stood in front her. "Hey!"

"How's it going?!" Brooke asked, looked Sophia over. "You look so grown up; my gosh."

"Things are alright," Sophia answered. "Just trying to survive high school."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As Sophia went out the door to go explore Tree Hill, Brooke ended up inviting Peyton to go with her and look at spaces for rent for her new C/B boutique. As she waited for her in the passenger seat of her parked car, Peyton grabbed her cell from her purse and dialed her father.

 _"_ _Hi honey."_

"So were you ever planning on letting me know that Sophia was on her way to see me?" Peyton heard her father sigh on the other end.

" _Peyton, I tried calling you the other night, but you didn't pick up or call me back until now."_

"OK, fine. Were you ever planning on telling me that things were really bad with Uncle David?"

 _"_ _I didn't know."_

Peyton shook her head into the phone. "No. I don't believe you. You always knew he was an asshole, and you always knew he was an alcoholic and likely clinically depressed. You just never talked about it, and now look what's happened. Sophia's been _displaced_. She _ran away_ from home because of his bullshit, and you don't seem to care."

 _"_ _That's not true, and you know what? That's not fair, either. You think I_ _ **liked**_ _that my sister stayed married to that loser? I talked to her about it several times, but how she handled it was ultimately her prerogative and nobody else's. I will always be here for Sophia. That's why I called you."_

 _"…._ What are you saying?"

 _Larry sighed again, and the conversation came to a temporary lull. "Well…from the sound of things...I don't think she should go back home."_

Peyton wiped her hand across her forehead. The silent breath that left from her lips was a long one. She was suddenly anxious, and her heart began to pound in her chest. The immensity of what she was about to embark upon placed her on the edge of an invisible precipice. She swallowed, heard it travel all the way down her throat. "...I don't either. Sophia can stay with me. At least until the end of the summer, and then…we can figure out what's next.

 _"_ _Are you sure?_ _This is_ _a big responsibility."_

"Yes, I'm sure, Dad. Sophia's family. I'm not going to abandon her."

 _"_ _And what are we going to do about DC? Apparently he's still in Vermont for about a week or so, but he's going to be totally shocked to come back to New York and see that his sister isn't there."_

"So he can come to Tree Hill from Vermont. I'm not going to keep them apart; that's insane."

" _OK. I'll make a few calls."_

As soon as Larry hung up the phone, Brooke climbed into the driver's seat. "Everything good?"

Peyton shook her head. "That was my dad. I called him about Sophia."

"And?"

Peyton rolled her eyes. "He claims he 'didn't know' about the situation with Sophia's dad. And then I talked to her some this morning…Brooke, I'm not really comfortable sending Sophia home right now."

"So…you want her to stay here?"

Peyton nodded. "At least until the end of the summer. If that's a problem, I totally understand–"

"Peyton, it's not a problem at all. Don't you dare think about moving out; I have the room and I bought this house for us to live in."

"Are you sure? Because having Sophia means having DC, too."

"There's room for him also. I love that kid. I love both of them."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The River Court hadn't changed in the two and a half years Peyton'd been in Los Angeles. The basketball hoops, while ratty, held a certain charm. The river running beside it was as calming as it ever was. As soon as Peyton stepped onto the tarmac, she entered a time capsule: back to high school, when everything was simpler...and she was in love.

The rhythmic sounds of a basketball hitting the ground below caused Peyton to turn around. There stood Lucas, who literally stopped short upon seeing her. He hadn't changed that much, save for the modest scruff on his face. Tee shirts were abandoned in favor of nice button downs, whose sleeves were rolled up at both elbows, whose top two buttons were undone and showed the smooth skin of his chest.

"Hi," she breathed out, her throat suddenly dry. "...How long's it been?"

He scoffed; his sarcastic, wan smile hurt her. "Two years." His basketball hugged his hip, frozen, just as they were that very moment.

"It's been longer than that," she said. She rubbed her left arm, as the slight breeze gave her a sudden chill. She let out a breath as the intensity of this moment, seeing her love after so long, overwhelmed her. The memories of how they'd left things didn't help either. She found herself advancing towards him, and despite everything the next words she spoke still rang true: "God, Luke, I _missed_ you–"

She wasn't sure what to expect, but certainly not that he'd stick out his hand into the space between them, and move back. "I can't," he said. "I just can't."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Peyton was still reeling from her encounter with Lucas, and stayed put on the River Court as a result. She only vaguely noticed Brooke's car come crawling up to the court. "Thought you'd be here," Brooke said, her heels _clacking_ against the pavement. She glanced over the faded signatures from their younger selves. "Seems like another life."

"It was for you. Brooke, I appreciate you coming back and everything, but considering the way your phone's been blowing up, you have a very busy, very important life to get back to."

"OK," Brooke said, in a tone that bore no argument. "I have a very important friend who needs me...but why'd you come home, Peyton?"

"….I guess I was looking for the inspiration I felt when we wrote our names here, ya know?...I was fearless then, Brooke."

"So what happened to that girl?"

Peyton breathed out, her shoulders slouched downward as she recalled her time in LA. "That girl became assistant to the assistant…"

"So, if you wanna be the girl you thought you could be back then, start a label. _Do it yourself!_ I'm _serious._ Peyton, I want to invest in your label. I believe in you."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-


	2. First Days

**So glad you all are as excited as I am about this story. Let me know what you think of this installment.  
**

 _Chapter One_

First Days

Lucas opened the door to Haley's grandiose home, greeted with silence. "Hello? Hales?"

"In the kitchen, Luke!"

Lucas walked into the kitchen to see his nephew, James Lucas Scott, hunched over the counter with an orange crayon in his hand, and Haley slicing an apple for her son as an afternoon snack. "Uncle Lucas!"

"J Luke!" he held out his hand and Jamie slapped it. "Whatcha got there?"

Jamie covered the drawing with his hands. "You can't see it yet! It's not done."

Lucas' mind flashed to the sad state of his current writing situation. "I know how that feels," he muttered. He walked around the counter and kissed his best friend on the cheek. "Hello."

"Hi. I take it the writing's not going very well," she said.

"The writing is not going at all. How about you? Did you get a nanny yet?"

"Nope. Not yet."

"Well, you can't babysit him forever, Hales...and by him I mean Nathan, not Jamie."

"Well, it's only been four months, so." Haley continued slicing the apple to avoid pursuing the subject, and Lucas knew this.

"So, were you gonna tell me that Peyton's back in town, or..."

Haley's cheeks filled in color. "Oh. That."

"Yes. That. You didn't think to tell me?!" he hissed so that Jamie wouldn't hear, his eyes filling with anger. "Why?"

"You were in New York, _supposedly_ focusing on your writing. I didn't want to disturb you. It was nothing that couldn't wait until you got back."

"That's not true," Lucas argued. "I deserved to know."

Setting down her knife, Haley kinked her eyebrows and surveyed her best friend. "Why? Why 'deserved?'"

He exhaled and rolled his shoulders forward. "What does 'supposedly' mean?!"

"Don't answer my question with a question," she shot back.

"Well you know I've been struggling with my writing, and I have been working really hard with Lindsey, so I don't appreciate your condescension."

Haley held up her hands in surrender. "OK. Sorry...but yes, Peyton's back in Tree Hill–and it looks like she's back indefinitely."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Brooke had moved rather fast in procuring a space for her new C/B boutique…the same space that used to be Karen's Cafe. She was working fast with a construction crew and a contractor in time to reveal the store at a flashy launch party. Such an endeavor was a complicated one, and an attention to detail was completely necessary. With her mother Victoria breathing down her neck, to say Brooke was a nervous wreck was a total understatement.

Peyton tried hard to focus on anything other than the fact that Lucas was in the store, working on the other side of the space, listening to something Brooke was telling him. She happily welcomed the distraction that was Sophia, who held a coffee in her hand and a book in the other. "You rang?" she announced, and Lucas turned.

"Thank _GOD!"_ Brooke exclaimed. "You're here!"

"You called Sophia?" Peyton asked, under the impression that her cousin was going to be out exploring all day like she announced she was going to do.

"Of course I did," Brooke replied. "I need all the hands I can get."

"It's no big deal," Sophia said. "What can I do?"

"Go help Luke," Brooke said. "Your beverage is not allowed near the merchandise!"

Sophia laughed, placed her coffee on the ground, and took off her light hoodie. Meanwhile, Lucas was staring at her, in shock. "Hey Luke," she said, and kept remarkably cool. "What's going on?"

Lucas laughed. "Oh my God, Sophia!" He moved to embrace her, and she let him. "Wow, I can't believe it's you!"

The pair hadn't seen each other since Lucas and Peyton were in high school, and a couple. When Peyton moved out to Los Angeles, she saw Sophia considerably less than she did before the move, which meant Sophia saw Lucas even less so. Sophia and Lucas got along remarkably well, but then Lucas and Peyton broke up, and that was, seemingly, the end of that.

Peyton was forced to watch the interaction from across the store, and she felt a sense of unhappiness in her chest. She found herself irrationally thinking, _How dare he talk to her?_ and along with that, nursing a sense of...jealousy. She didn't want Lucas and her cousin talking, interacting, and certainly _not_ reminiscing.

"It's good to see you, too," Sophia said.

"Are you visiting for some of your summer vacation?"

"Yeah, kind of," Sophia answered, not breaking face. Lucas looked puzzled for a split second, but their conversation was gracefully put to a halt with the arrival of Millicent carrying several pizza boxes.

"Alright guys, come and get it!" Brooke announced. "Now, words cannot express how much I appreciate you all being here on a Friday, doing manual labor...so I'm just gonna say this: _DO NOT_ get food on the clothes; Millicent will be distributing handi-wipes; use them! Break's over in 20 minutes, and I love you all."

Sophia grabbed two slices of pizza, moving to sit with her cousin, in which she passed her a slice. She nudged Peyton's shoulder with her own. "You good?"

"I'm fine," Peyton said, and took a bite of her food. "Are you good?"

"I am indeed," Sophia said. "You just seem a little…. tense. Is it because of Lucas?"

Peyton had to laugh, but it was an uncomfortable sound.

"It's OK," Sophia said, taking her hand. "Really."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After lunch, Peyton approached Victoria Davis rather timidly. Though Brooke's mom hadn't been around much when they were teenagers, she was still, well...pretty fucking scary. "Hi Mrs. Davis." Victoria turned from adjusting the clothes on a mannequin. Peyton wrung her hands together. "I just want to tell you, I think it's really great that you're supporting Brooke's decision to stay. I know it means so much to her."

"...Of course I support my daughter...but let's be clear. The only reason Brooke returned to this backwater town is because her loser friend couldn't cut it in Los Angeles. That's why I'm here, to make sure my daughter isn't completely exploited by her parasitic so-called 'friends'; so you get your little act together before you ruin her life, too." Victoria pursed her lips and stepped aside, leaving Peyton momentarily gutted.

Sophia had heard the entire exchange, and she had half a mind to introduce herself to this Victoria person. She walked, talked, and acted like a _complete_ witch. "Well," Sophia said, edging close to Peyton's side. "She's...pleasant."

"Isn't she?" Peyton laughed. "Hasn't changed."

Sophia's phone began vibrating in her back pocket. She took one look at the screen and said, "Be right back," headed outside to take the call. The sun shone brightly in her eyes, so she quickly scurried under the shade of a tree. "Hello?"

 _"_ _Soph! It's me!"_

Sophia chuckled. "I know it's you, DC; I have caller ID. What's up? Are you OK?"

 _"I'm fine, I'm fine! How's Peyton? How's Tree Hill?!"_

"...Not gonna lie, it's pretty sweet. The weather is great. We're fixing up Brooke's new boutique. The launch party is in a few days. Other than that, just been reacquainting myself with this place and exploring. How about you, how's Vermont?"

 _"_ _...Eh. I love_ _Suzie_ _and_ _Phil_ _, Nora and Max and all, but to be honest, it's getting kinda boring. There's no TV here."_

Sophia laughed. DC, at 11, had a pretty significant obsession with video games. "Yeah, but you get unlimited access to that tree house Phil built."

 _"_ _I guess."_

"What's wrong?"

 _"_ _I miss you. This sucks. You're so far away."_

"I know, buddy..." she lamented, and sighed. Her eyes brimmed with tears. "But you know why I had to come here, right?"

 _"_ _Yeah," he said."Because our dad sucks; that's why."_

"DC..."

 _"_ _I want to come to Tree Hill. It's not fair that you're all the way over there with Peyton and I'm not."_

"Are you unhappy with Suzie and Phil?"

 _"_ _No; it's not that. Suzie and_ _Phil_ _are great...but they're not you."_

Sophia shut her eyes and let out a long exhale.

 _"_ _Ask Peyton if I can come to stay in Tree Hill, too. Please, Soph?"_

 _"_ I don't know if–"

 _"_ _Oh come on. I know she'll say yes. We're brother and sister!"_

Out of the corner of her eye, Sophia saw Peyton leaving the store and walking in her direction. "D...I gotta go; I'll call you later, OK? Bye."

"Everything OK?" Peyton asked.

"Yep," Sophia answered, right as she hung up the call. "Everything's fine."

"You sure?"

"Positive. We'd better hurry and get back in there before Brooke notices we're gone."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lucas found himself shooting hoops at the River Court, hoping basketball would give him inspiration to write. So far, he had no luck. Actually he was missing every single basket that he attempted.

"Wow," came a familiar voice. "I didn't realize you sucked _this bad."_

Lucas turned after catching the ball in his grasp, wearing a wry smile. "Lindsey," he said. "What're you doing here?" He spun around in his spot once. "...Am I actually in New York?"

"Ha ha." Lindsey rolled her eyes. She set her purse on the bleachers. "I kind of had a crazy idea. Hear me out?"

"Always." Lucas took a seat on the bleachers next to her. "What's up?"

"Your recent visit to New York made it very clear to me that you're totally struggling with your writing. Because I believe in you so much, I'm willing to work out of Tree Hill for a little while and save you the back and forth. I think you constantly having to leave this environment is messing you up a bit."

Lucas scratched the back of his neck. "...Wow, Lindsey that's...that's really nice of you. You don't have to do this, though. What about your other writers?"

"I can work remotely, and if I need to schedule some face to face, they can always come to Tree Hill." Lindsey rested a hand on Lucas' shoulder. "Call this an experiment. I stay in Tree Hill for a couple weeks, and if it doesn't work out, I go home...but you still need to get me some freakin' pages."

Lucas let out a breathy laugh. "Are you sure?"

"Luke, I already made up my mind. I'm staying! What do you say?"

Lucas swung an arm around her shoulder. "I think you'll grow to love Tree Hill."

She rolled her eyes, grabbed the basketball, stood up, and threw it towards the basket, where it sunk in.

"...That's just not fair!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Tonight was the grand opening of Brooke's boutique. She'd been running around with her assistant Millicent to get everything ready, so much so that Sophia and Peyton hardly saw her. Sophia spent her afternoon reading out on the balcony, enjoying the light breeze and the view of the marina.

"Whatcha reading?"

Sophia turned at the sound of her cousin's voice. She handed her a nice tall glass of iced tea and took a seat next to her. "Calvino." She shut her book and turned in the lounge chair. "Thanks for the drink."

"No problem," Peyton sent a smile her way. "So tonight's Brooke's boutique opening; are you excited?"

"I am," Sophia replied. "...This is supposed to be like, a fancy event, right? It's just...I left New York in such a haste I didn't really...I didn't really pack any going out clothes."

"OK," Peyton said easily. If she was in any way affected by what her cousin just said, she didn't let it show on her face. "So let's go shopping!"

The pair found themselves in the Mercury Comet with the top down, listening to some classic jams as they drove to the mall. At a red light, Peyton turned and said, "So, Soph...I've been wanting to talk to you about something."

"OK," Sophia said, and her stomach began to churn. "What about?"

"If you'd like to stay in Tree Hill with me for the rest of the summer, you can do that."

"...Seriously?"

With half her glance on the light up ahead, Peyton nodded. "Mhm."

"I..." Sophia blew out a breath. "That's amazing, thank you so much….but–"

As the light turned green, Peyton accelerated. The mall was just up ahead and soon they found themselves in its parking lot, with the car engine coming to a stop. "But what?"

Sophia looked her cousin in the eye, looking especially sullen and incredibly serious. "I can't leave my brother for that long."

As Peyton was about to reply, her phone began to go off, and she saw it was her dad calling. "Sorry, honey," she said. "I should take this."

"Sure. I'll meet you at the entrance over there." She got out and closed the car door behind her, beginning her walk towards the west entrance to the mall.

"Hi Dad," Peyton said. "Any updates?"

 _"I talked to the couple taking care of DC, Phil and Suzie Cooper."_

"And?"

 _"They're in complete agreement that DC should be in Tree Hill with you. I've spoken with him, they've spoken to him–"_

"You spoke to him? How did he sound?"

 _"Excited. Peyton, he's already on a bus on his way to you."_

"What, right now?!"

" _Yes. You said it yourself, we shouldn't keep siblings apart. Especially not those two."_

"What's his travel information? Itinerary?"

"I'll text it to you; I have it all right here."

"OK. Thank you, Dad."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After visiting three stores at the mall, Sophia had been laying on her bed reading, when she thought she heard her name radiate from downstairs. She placed her book to the side, pulled the bedroom door open. "Did someone call me?" she hollered.

"Yes!" It was Peyton. "Can you come down here for a second?"

Sophia galloped down the stairs and turned to see her little brother, standing next to a large navy blue duffle bag and matching backpack. He was dressed simply in sweats, his light brown hair covering his forehead, gangly legs sprouting from underneath him. "Soph!"

"...Oh my God," she breathed, tears filling her eyes. "Oh my God!" She opened her arms and DC ran into them, then she held him tight, jostled him a bit. "What the heck are you doing here?! Are you OK?!"

DC laughed, his laugh a sweet, innocent sound. "Yes, sis, I'm OK. Why do you always think something bad happened?"

Sophia had to laugh in spite of herself, and motioned to Peyton, who was visibly moved. "Did you guys…"

"Brooke's assistant Millicent came to get me. It's sort of because of Uncle Larry," DC filled in, nudging his glasses to sit properly on his nose. "…But really this was all my idea."

With a teary laugh, she brought her little brother back to her side, where he was always meant to be. With a deep sense of gratitude, Sophia looked over at Peyton and mouthed, _thank you._

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sophia spent the next hour helping DC unpack the clothes he brought, while he marveled at the size of his new room. "OK, D, tell me you packed going out clothes?"

"'Going out clothes?' What're those?"

Sophia rolled her eyes, as she placed DC's jeans in his new dresser. "You know, like nice shirts? Slacks? Dressy stuff. So that you look nice."

" _Oh."_ He rummaged in his duffle bag and pulled out a purple cotton button down shirt and khaki slacks. "Like these?"

"Yes, perfect." Sophia pursed her lips at the obvious wrinkles on the fabric. "D, the least you could do is fold your clothes when you pack them."

"What's the difference?"

"The difference is now you have to iron the shirt and those pants. The ironing board is down the hall in the linen closet."

" _Seriously?_ Where are we even going?"

"The grand opening of Brooke's boutique is like in an hour and she's having a fancy party. I told you that. Hurry up, or we're going to be late."

DC hung his head back in defeat, taking the clothes. " _Fine._ This party better be fun!"

"It's Brooke. Of course it'll be fun. Move your feet!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The C/B boutique on Front Street was buzzing with activity by the time Sophia, DC, and Peyton arrived. Peyton had found a gorgeous strapless emerald green dress that brought out her eyes, Sophia wearing a maroon red. Brooke stood in the center of at all, looking radiant as always.

"You guys made it! Hey, DC!" Before hugging him, she asked, "You remember me, right?"

"Of course," DC chuckled, and they embraced.

"Brooke, this is amazing!" Peyton said. "We're all so proud of you!" Over Brooke's shoulder, Peyton spotted Lucas dressed in a crisp blue button down, chatting and laughing with a beautiful, tall brunette. Her stomach clenched, but when she pulled back from her hug with her best friend, she hid it with a smile.

"Look around and enjoy, guys!" Brooke held up one finger, too busy with her grand opening to notice the turmoil going on in Peyton's mind. "One piece on the house from me."

"Seriously?" Sophia gaped. "That's so sweet. Thanks, Brooke!"

"Don't thank me! We're family!" As she said this, Brooke squeezed Peyton's left wrist.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Sophia and DC left Peyton and Brooke to wander around the store, laugh and catch up after so long apart. If Sophia weren't there, DC would've probably been bored out of his mind. They ended up posing and taking photos together, with and without the mannequins.

"Haley!" Sophia called out, and Haley turned.

 _"_ _Sophia?_ Holy crap!" The pair embraced. "I can't believe you're here!"

Sophia laughed, "It's been a while, huh?"

"A while?! You look like a woman already." Haley's eyes met those of DC, and her eyes filled with joy. "DC! Oh my goodness!"

"Hi Haley," DC grinned. "It's great to see you!"

"How are you?" Sophia asked. "How's everyone, how's Nathan?"

Haley's expression changed, but only for a second. "Oh Nathan's good, he's just not feeling well tonight. He would've loved to be here, though...and my son James is doing really well, he's four now!"

"Four, wow...time flies."

"Tell me about it. I still can't believe you both are here!"

As Sophia, DC, and Haley continued chatting, Brooke and Peyton stood by the check out counter. "So I have a little something for you." Brooke handed her a plum colored strapless dress. "It's a present to say thanks for helping me with everything."

"...Wow, I love it, but you did not have to do this. You've already done so much for me."

Brooke disregarded her friend's concern with a flick of her wrist. "Eh." She inhaled a breath. "So how're things with Lucas?"

Peyton didn't break face. "What do you mean?"

Brooke gave her a knowing look. "Peyton, you asked me to be honest with you about why I'm staying, and I need you to do the same with me, OK?"

"OK."

"...It's just not high school anymore," she said, hoping Peyton could read in between the lines.

"This is not about Lucas, Brooke."

Brooke put her hands up in surrender. "OK. Good. Because the cute bartender's been eying you all night."

Peyton turned to see a tall, handsome, dark haired man behind the counter, whose lips curled into a smirk upon making eye contact with her. "Oh."

"Oh."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Huh." Sophia had been eating an hors d'oeuvres when she caught the sight of her cousin talking it up with a cute bartender.

"What?" DC asked, looking up from the display of slacks.

Sophia motioned to Peyton with her chin. "Check it out. What's that about?"

"Hah. Peyton with a dude. Would it be corny if I yelled _get it in_ across the room?"

Sophia swatted DC's arm and hid her smile. "Yes. And inappropriate. Where did you learn that?!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As DC eventually got pulled into an entertaining conversation with Mouth and Skills, Sophia spotted the brunette that Lucas had been with the whole night, eyeing a nice blouse. She knew she probably shouldn't have, but she went up to her, ever so curious.

"That top would look really cute on you," Sophia said, and the woman turned to her.

"Aw, thanks," she said, with a smile.

"You should definitely get it." Sophia watched her subtly. She had beautiful light brown hair, gorgeous eyes, and curves that could kill.

"Maybe I will! So how do you know Brooke?"

"Oh. Close friend." Sophia decided that version was much simpler than the long one. "I'm Sophia." She stuck out her hand for a shake, and the woman gladly took it.

"Lindsey!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

He smelled really good. His eyes were a deep brown. His name was Evan. When they leaned in to hear each other over the noise of the party, Peyton took note of the way his chest rippled through his black button down. Still though, her attraction felt..incomplete.

Two fingers brushed against her arm, and Peyton turned to see Lucas standing there. Almost instantaneously, her heart began to pound in her chest, her breath catching in her throat. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," she returned. They looked at each other for a good five seconds.

Lucas swallowed, and boldly leaned forward to whisper in Peyton's ear. She wore a new perfume that he couldn't name, but that intoxicated him, made him dizzy and yearn for her in ways he hadn't in a long time. His hand pressed against her lower back, and he said, "He's not good enough for you."

When he pulled away, he noticed her shoulders tense up, and she looked as though the wind got knocked out of her. Whether what came next was a surge of adrenaline or anger, she wasn't sure, but it led her right outside the store in Lucas' footsteps moments later. "Hey!" she shouted, her voice carrying through the night air. " _Don't_ do that."

Lucas turned to her with that sexy, brooding stare. "Do what?"

"' _He's not good enough for you?'_ I don't want you saying things like that to me, Lucas! That's not fair to me! And it's not fair to...to her!"

Lucas just looked at her. "Her?"

"Yes!" Peyton shouted, clearly exasperated. "The lovely woman you brought with you tonight. Your date."

Lucas tried not to laugh at her insinuation. "My date? Lindsey's not my date. She's not even my girlfriend."

Her heart began to pound again. "...What?"

"Lindsey is not my girlfriend. She's my editor, and she's my _friend._ "

"...Oh."

They continued staring at each other, Peyton standing by the entrance to the boutique, and Lucas a few feet away on the sidewalk. Though physically close, an ocean sat between them.

The sounds of the door opening led both adults attention away from each other. Sophia and DC stood there, picking up on the tension. "Are we...leaving?"

"Yes," Peyton answered, pretending to ignore the disappointment in Lucas' eyes. "C'mon guys. You have everything?"

The kids answered yes, and Peyton didn't meet Lucas' glance again as they left the store and headed home.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-xx-x-x-

With Brooke still at the boutique, Peyton and the kids had the house to themselves. They both went straight to their rooms to change into their pajamas, and DC went to sleep, exhausted from the trip over. After a bit, Sophia came downstairs to see Peyton in front of the fireplace, watching the flames flicker. "Hey."

"Hey," Peyton returned, shifting to sit atop her legs. "So did you have a nice evening?"

"I did," Sophia replied. _So are we not gonna talk about whatever went down with you and Lucas?!_ Was on the tip of her tongue, but she held it in. "DC and I ran into Haley and talked to her for a bit. Weird that Nathan wasn't there, though."

Peyton took in a sharp breath. Sophia was still seemingly unaware of Nathan's tragic spine injury that left him wheelchair bound, as he had been for the past four or so months. "Yeah...about that."

"...What?"

Peyton swallowed and told Sophia the whole story as she'd heard from Brooke: Nathan, Lucas, and Haley had been out on the town celebrating Nathan's new shoe contract. When Haley left to relieve the sitter, Lucas and Nathan had a run in with a complete jerk...one thing led to another, a fight broke out, and Nathan was thrown through a plate glass window.

"... _What?"_ Her voice was above a whisper, her eyes deep and wounded and sad. "My God. That's so horrible."

"I know. It is."

"So he's in a wheelchair now? For good?"

"Well, Brooke and I went to see him the other day. Good news is, the doctors say he'll be able to walk again, he just needs a little incentive. The bad news is he seems very unmotivated and deeply depressed. Truly."

"Wow," Sophia breathed. She couldn't even imagine a Nathan that was depressed….and yet for somebody that had been so active….she couldn't imagine being in his position, either. "I don't really know what to say."

"It's a lot, I know." Peyton reached over and patted Sophia's knee. "...I bet he'd really love a visit from you and DC."

"I was just thinking that," Sophia admitted, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you think it'd be alright?"

"Of course," Peyton said back, her voice soft. "Of course. You'd get to meet little Jamie, too!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-


	3. Highs and Lows

**Finally able to churn this one out. Let me know your thoughts.**

 _Chapter Two_

Highs and Lows 

The bike ride with her brother under a beautiful clear sky to Nathan and Haley's beautiful home was pleasant and calming. After arriving to their home, DC and Sophia set aside their bikes and made their way to the front door. "Now, remember what we talked about," Sophia said.

"I know, I know. Nathan got into a really bad accident, is now in a wheelchair, and is all...dark inside and stuff. What are we supposed to talk about?"

"Hell if I know," Sophia muttered, before ringing the doorbell. Moments later, Haley answered, dressed down in jeans and a casual blouse, hair up in a messy bun. "Hey, Haley!"

"Hey, you guys! You made it! Come on in."

They entered, both kids secretly marveling at the house's impressive interior. "Shoes," Sophia whispered to her brother, and he immediately obliged, beginning to remove his sneakers.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Haley said.

"It's OK; we do it everywhere," DC said.

"No, really! Nathan and Jamie are out by the pool, so leave your shoes on!" She waved them ahead with her hand, and both kids made their way out to the back. A little boy Sophia presumed to be Jamie was playing with a little basketball and a plastic Fisher Price basketball hoop, donning a stylish red cape all the while. Had it not been for the wheelchair, neither Sophia nor DC would've recognized Nathan from behind, being that his hair was long, dark and scraggly. "Jamie, baby, there's people I want you to meet." Haley ushered her company to near Jamie, who stopped playing and seemed to cower in shyness, his blue eyes darting to his shoes. "It's OK! This is Sophia and DC; they're Aunt Peyton's family! Wanna say hi?"

At the mention of Peyton's cousins, only then did Nathan turn around to face his guests. All three of them made eye contact, and Sophia's heart broke a little. Nathan had indeed let his hair grow out, as well as a grungy dark beard, which hid his handsome face. She could see the despair in his eyes from where she stood.

"Hi," Jamie muttered, moving to cling to his mother's leg.

"Hey there, Jamie!" Sophia crouched on her haunches and stuck out her right hand. "My name's Sophia. I've heard so much about you!"

Jamie slowly extended his hand and shook that of Sophia. His eyes met the lanky boy who stood behind Sophia. "What's your name?" he asked, quietly.

"I'm DC," he said, sending Jamie a friendly smile. "It's really nice to meet you, Jamie! Were you playing basketball just now?"

"I'm going to start making lunch," Haley announced. Her eyes met that of her husband. "Nathan, are you hungry?" Nathan didn't answer right away, and only half met Haley's glance. "Nathan. I just asked you something."

Sophia's eyes darted between husband and wife, the tension incredibly palpable. "I could eat!" She piped up. "I know my brother could, too." DC was doing a great job of keeping Jamie occupied.

For a moment, Haley seemed disappointed that Nathan didn't answer her. "Great," she breathed, and retreated, almost grateful to do so.

Sophia stood up from her haunches and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her shorts. "It's good to see you, Nate."

"It's good to see you too," Nathan said. His voice was strained, deep, almost tortured. "I didn't know you were coming to Tree Hill."

"Yeah...I surprised everyone, including Peyton." Sophia realized quickly that she may have been a bit over her head, but it was too late to leave now. "...How're you feeling?"

Nathan swallowed, and Sophia could tell he was debating how to answer the question. She could also tell that most adults filtered what they said to the 16 year-old from New York City, unnecessarily so. "Been better."

Sophia nodded, a lump in her throat. _Should she talk about his progress, or keep things light?_ "I like your hair." _Light. Definitely light._ "Very rock star."

The slightest of smiles appeared on Nathan's face. "Thanks."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Hey Hales." Lucas walked into the house to see Haley making sandwiches with a side of carrot sticks. "Lunch for Jamie?"

"And Nathan. And Sophia and DC."

"Oh, I didn't know they were here," Lucas said, his eyes darting to the back door, but he couldn't see anyone from there. "They with Nate?"

"And Jamie," Haley said.

Lucas nodded, and reached for a carrot stick on Haley's cutting board. "Lindsey is staying in Tree Hill for a while."

Haley stopped chopping. "Wait, what?"

"She says it's in the interest of helping my writing." Lucas shrugged. "I say, whatever will get me writing again."

"Right," Haley muttered, then turned back to the cabinets behind her to fetch plates.

"What?"

Haley turned to her best friend, one brow raised with a certain look on her face. " _Please_ , Luke."

"Please what?"

Haley hid her smirk. "Lucas, what kind of editor moves her life across however many states to motivate one of her writers to write? Think about that for a second." At Lucas' blank stare, Haley let out, "She likes you!"

"No she doesn't, Haley. Don't be ridiculous."

"Oh yes she does. It's not ridiculous at all. You really are blind, aren't you?"

"What–"

"Lindsey _likes_ you. It's so obvious. Speaking of obvious things, what about Peyton?"

"What _about_ Peyton?"

Haley laughed in a humorless way. "What do you mean, 'what about Peyton?!' It's _always_ been about Peyton. She's still in love with you. You love her too." Haley pointed at him for emphasis.

"...Are you done telling me how I'm feeling?"

"Oh my God, you are in complete denial. I can tell there's still feelings there by the way you two look at each other, _especially_ the other night at Brooke's boutique opening."

"You saw that."

"Luke, it's a small store. I think everyone saw you two yelling at each other outside."

Lucas rested his palm on the island counter. "Can we talk about something else?"

Haley raised her hands in surrender. "You brought up the Lindsey thing." She shook her head at her best friend. "Would you like some lunch?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Uncle Lucas!" Jamie abandoned playing along with DC and the basketball hoop to greet his uncle.

"Hey, Jamie! Teaching DC how to play the game, huh? Why don't you go wash your hands; it's lunchtime." He ruffled his nephew's hair, and nodded in Sophia and DC's direction. "Hey," he said, noting his own awkwardness and not knowing what to do about it.

"Hi," Sophia greeted. "Nate and I were just catching up...I think I'll go wash up for lunch, too. C'mon, DC."

"It's good to see you outside." Nathan gave Lucas a look, but said nothing in return. "So, how's physical therapy going?"

Nathan's eyes hardened and he scowled. "How's your second book coming?"

"Ouch," Lucas attempted to joke, but it fell flat. He shoved his hands in the pocket of his jeans. He was still getting used to having to stand over his younger brother. "Haley told me that the doctors think you'll be on your feet any day now. You're pretty lucky, Nate."

"Oh yeah. That's me; Mr. Lucky."

"I'm just saying; you'll be back to normal in no time."

Nathan shoved an angry hand through his long hair. "Luke, I'm never gonna play basketball again. That's not exactly normal, OK?"

"Come on, open your eyes, man. You're blessed."

" _Blessed_? Blessed?!" Nathan seethed. "I'm in a fucking wheelchair!"

Both Sophia and DC, who were just about to enter the house, turned at Nathan's outburst. "Come on," Sophia said under her breath, and corralled her brother inside. "Come on."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

By the time Peyton entered Nathan and Haley's house, she heard commotion coming from the pool area, so there she went. DC and Sophia were in the pool, playing with Jamie, who donned green floaties, one on each arm. "Well," she said, laughing, one hand on one hip. "Aren't you both happy that I pestered you to bring bathing suits?"

"Yes," the kids droned in unison. DC and Jamie came up with a game that mostly involved Jamie getting lifted and thrown over and over, until they got bored of that and played with the in-pool basketball hoop.

"Hey girlie," Haley said, and patted the lounge chair next to her so Peyton could take a seat, and she did. Haley watched her friend and debated whether or not she should ask about how exactly Sophia and DC came to live with her, but decided it not the right time, with the high chance that the kids would eavesdrop. "So, Brooke was telling me that you might start your own record label here in Tree Hill?"

"I forgot how fast word gets around in small towns," Peyton remarked. She let her flip flops fall to the ground and crossed her ankles on the lounge chair, for a moment admiring the lilac color of her recent pedicure.

"I think you should do it, Peyton. I really do. Imagine how wonderful it could be!"

Peyton nodded. "If only I knew where to start."

"Hey, Hales–"

Peyton turned around slowly at the sound of Lucas' voice behind her. He had come from inside the house, wearing jeans and a white tee shirt. She immediately turned back to face the pool, hoping he didn't see her cheeks turn red.

"Uncle Lucas, are you coming swimming, too?!" Jamie asked from the shallow end of the pool.

"Not today, buddy," Lucas answered. "Maybe next time!" Lucas looked Peyton's way, but she didn't turn around to face him again. He pointed over his shoulder. "Hales, I'm gonna head out."

"Oh, alright. I'll see you later?"

"For sure. Bye, guys."

"Bye, Lucas!" Just like that, he left, and the kids went back to playing, oblivious to the rest of the world.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Hey Luke," Brooke greeted from behind the counter at her C/B boutique. "What brings you by?" The door had chimed at Luke's entrance.

"Just thought I'd check in and see how my famous fashion designer friend is doing after her store opening."

Brooke grinned. "I appreciate that description, but seriously, why are you here?"

Lucas approached the counter and leaned his hands on it. "What, I can't check on you?"

"Oh, you can. I just wanted to make sure that wasn't a lead-in to another reason." Brooke kinked her brow, challenged him with her knowing gaze.

Lucas hung his head back and eventually asked, "So, Sophia's here for the summer, huh?"

"There it is," Brooke muttered under her breath. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "Curiosity. Kinda unexpected to see her after so long."

"Yeah well, life is like that sometimes."

Lucas looked at her. "Is this a topic I'm not allowed to broach?"

"Kinda." Brooke bit her lip. "I get it, Luke. I'm the practice dummy."

"What?"

"You know. You really wanna ask Peyton about it, but you can't because of all the history and angst–"

Lucas held up his hand. "OK, OK."

Brooke took a breath. "She told me about running into you on the River Court the other night, and she told me about what you said to her at the opening. What the hell, Luke? First you cast her aside, parade another woman around her, and then tell her something like _that_?"

"First of all. I was not 'parading' Lindsey around her. She was my companion for the evening; that's it. Second of all, everyone's harping about how hard it must be for her to see me, but what about _me_ seeing _her_?! I hurt too after everything that happened, you know."

"OK, lower your voice," Brooke pleaded. "You don't have to get so defensive."

"Well, what am I supposed to do when you're here attacking me?"

"I am not attacking you. I'm trying to level with you."

"Thank you for that," he snapped, and he turned around to leave Brooke's store.

"I told her to start her own record label here," Brooke called after him, only to watch him keep walking without saying a thing.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

That Saturday night was a rainy one, and everyone thought it the perfect opportunity to finish decorating Sophia and DC's new rooms. Both of them had just been furnished, but they did a Target run earlier for more necessities. When they had finished, Peyton and the kids collapsed onto the couch in the living room, the TV on low. "Are you guys hungry?"

"Yeah!"

"Heck yes," Sophia said. "Pizza?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A knock on the door to her hotel room startled her, but Lindsey calmed when she saw it was Lucas on the other side of the door. "Hey, Luke, what's up?"

"Hey, Lindsey. Really sorry to just drop by like this."

"Don't be silly. Come on in so you don't get soaked!"

Lucas entered the hotel room, took a seat near the door. He accepted a small towel from Lindsey to dry his hair and face. "Thanks."

"So, what's up?!"

Lucas exhaled. He knew once he brought this up, the calmness between them would disappear. "Lindsey…do you _like_ me?"

She let out a nervous chuckle, ran her fingertips along her forehead. She wondered if Lucas recognized the gravity of the question, yet the look in his blue eyes told her that he in fact did. She exhaled, and then asked, "It's that obvious, huh?"

Lucas wore a soft smile. "Well…."

"Look, Luke… I know it's complicated because I'm your editor. I would never do anything to jeopardize that...but what I've realized is that I can't–I can't really help how I _feel_. You know what I mean?"

"Absolutely," Lucas said, after hesitating for only a moment.

"The whole thing is just stupid, really."

"No it's not," Lucas said, a softness in his voice. "Don't say that."

"It is, though, because you don't feel the same way." Before Lucas could respond, she went on, "You don't have to protest or anything to protect my feelings, OK? Seriously." Lindsey looked at him gently for a minute. "I know there's someone else in your heart."

Lucas hung his head back. "Linds…"

"Luke, _come on._ I spent a year basically editing a love letter to her. You don't just forget about that kind of love."

"I haven't forgotten."

"Yet you're consistently denying it." Lindsey leaned forward. "Lucas, I think one of the reasons you're not writing is because you're not being honest with yourself. Now's your chance. There's nobody around."

He swallowed and heard it travel down his throat. His heart pounded in his chest. "...It's still lingering, Linds. It's still lingering."

Lindsey nodded slightly. "I know." She squeezed Lucas' hand. "I know."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

That Monday morning, as the kids slept in, Peyton climbed up the steps to TRIC and was flooded with memories of her high school years: finding bands for Karen, watching Haley find her spark. Not much had changed about the place...not much at all.

She found Lucas sitting at one of the high tables, scribbling in a ledger. "Hi," she said, which sounded much more confident in her head.

"Hey," he said, gave her a soft smile. "Thanks for coming so early on a Monday."

"It is pretty early," she admitted. "I usually don't start my hard drinking till at least noon," she joked, and wanted to cringe right after she said it. _At least we're semi joking around now,_ she thought.

Lucas stood up and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. "I wanna show you something."

They walked through TRIC in silence, through a set of double doors that Peyton forgot even existed. They stopped at a large door, and Lucas put his hand on the handle and pulled it open, to reveal a large, airy, loft-like area. At Peyton's look of confusion, he said, "I talked to my mom, and her and I want you to have this. Rent free, under one condition: that it becomes office space for your new label."

Momentarily gutted, Peyton eventually said, "Luke...Luke, I don't even–I don't–who told you?! Brooke?"

Lucas couldn't help but laugh. Peyton was always so cute when she got flustered. "Maybe," he answered. "Peyton," he said, and she met his gaze. "You owe it to yourself to give this whole label thing a try. You'd be so amazing at it!" He tried to ignore the slight smile she gave him, but it was impossible to. "I know you can do this, and so do you. Just consider it!"

"I keep thinking about that book signing you had in Los Angeles." At that, Lucas turned to face her once more. He remembered right then, calling her up all those years ago, when he was about to take _Unkindness_ on tour, one stop being LA, and he called Peyton up to invite her there to see him, uncontrollable nerves and all. "I was there, Luke. I was there, and I was _so_ proud of you...but we hadn't talked in a long time and I saw you were with Lindsey, and I figured you guys were together."

"But we _weren't_ ," Lucas said. "Peyton, we're _not_. We're not, she's just my editor." He took a few steps toward his ex flame until he was close, and she stayed rooted to the spot. "Are you– are you talking about when Lindsey...when she kissed me on the cheek? "

"I don't...I don't remember."

"That was just a congratulatory peck," he insisted, ignoring Peyton's denial. He exhaled, his shoulders lumping over. "Are you meaning to tell me that all these years I thought you couldn't bother to show up, when really you did?" He desperately searched her glance. "Why didn't you just come over to me anyway?" His voice, half a whisper, was pained.

The look on his face was enough to bring tears to her eyes. "I didn't… I thought..." the words couldn't leave her mouth. "I have to go."

"Peyton. Peyton, please wait." His hand lightly grazed her lower back, and she turned back to him.

"I can't do this…." she insisted, her voice delicate and sad.

"Do what?" Lucas took another step forward, and this time each of his hands lay timidly on either side of Peyton's waist, hands she didn't shove off of her. Lucas leaned in and kissed his ex girlfriend on the mouth, her lips tasting as sweet and feeling as soft as he remembered. His hands moved to her lower back, and he carefully pushed her closer to his body. Her arms latched around his neck, but only for a moment. As quickly as the moment had begun, it'd ended. Soon the space between them was almost too much to bear. "Peyton.."

"...I don't understand you," was what she finally said, her head shaking slightly. "I tell you, _I miss you_ , and you push me aside, and now...now this?"

"I know," Lucas said, full of lament. "Look...I'm an idiot; OK? It's just…I'm still hurt. I'm still hurt over everything that happened in Los Angeles three years ago...but...but seeing you here after all this time? I'd be completely lying if I said you weren't in my heart anymore." He searched her face, for a hint, a sense of softness, anything.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"So, D, how do you like Tree Hill so far?" Sophia and her brother were enjoying the summer morning by the boardwalk near the river, each one of them nursing a frozen lemonade.

DC finished slurping his drink and said, "It's awesome. I've always loved Tree Hill, especially in the summer."

Sophia smiled, her straw still stuck in her mouth. "Word." Her phone began to ring, and she glanced at the screen. "It's Haley." Sophia put the phone to her ear. "Hey, Haley!"

" _Hey girlie! Listen, I was wondering if you're not busy today, if you wouldn't mind stopping by my place to watch Jamie for a couple hours?! I cleared it with Peyton, who thought you would love to help, but I wanted to clear it with you, obviously. I'm just in a total bind right now; I have to run to the high school to cover a summer session...Nathan's in one of his moods...anyway...I'll pay you!"_

Sophia laughed. "I'd love to help. Can I bring DC along?"

" _Of course! Ugh, Soph, you're the best! So, should we say like, 1pm?"_

"1 is perfect. See you then." Sophia hung up the phone and faced her brother. "Well, feel like hanging out with little Jamie in a bit?"

DC shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Peyton entered Brooke's boutique in a whirlwind, looking disheveled and distraught. "Need to talk to you."

"Whoa," Brooke commented, as Millicent was fixing up the display mannequins nearby. "What the hell happened here?"

"...Luke and I kissed!"

Millicent turned around slowly. "...I'll be in the back," she said, and she fluttered off.

"... _What_." Brooke smirked. "How? When?"

"Just now! At TRIC, where he was showing me some potential office space for my label, that he only knows about thanks to you."

Brooke held her hands up in surrender. "Easy, easy. I'm not the enemy here. What was it like?!"

"What?"

"The _kiss._ What was it like?"

"That's...not important."

"Huh. Must've not been very good then."

"Brooke," Peyton sighed.

She relented. "How are you feeling? _What_ are you feeling?"

"I'm just...in a bit of shock, first of all," Peyton said, resting her arms on the counter that separated her and her friend. "I'm...confused. First he dismisses me and then–"

"What did he say to you?!"

"'I'd be lying if I said you weren't in my heart anymore,' and that he was still hurt over what happened in LA three years ago."

Brooke nodded. "So maybe that's why he dismissed you," she said, and then added, "Just a thought." After a moment or two of silence, Brooke asked, "So…what are you gonna do?"

"What?"

"With you and Luke, what are you gonna do? You kissed. Now what?"

"Brooke…" Peyton said, and she exhaled. "He's still in my heart too."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Hello?" Both Sophia and DC poked their heads in the front door of Nathan and Haley's home and were met with silence. "Haley! We're here!"

A grunt from the living room stole their attention, and both kids crept to the sound. Nathan lay sprawled on the couch, semi covered by a blanket. It was impossible to overlook the several beer bottles, the half empty bottle of his liquor of choice….

"Hey Nathan," Sophia said, and something within her hardened. She realized right then how difficult it must've been for Haley to call for someone to watch Jamie since Nathan was still in the same house, yet completely incapable.

"Thank goodness you're here," Came Haley's flustered voice. Her arm gestured for Sophia and DC to join her in the kitchen, semi far from where Nathan lay. It was there that she gave Sophia and DC the spiel about caring for Jamie: what snacks to feed him, what games they might play, how much TV he could watch. "He takes his naps around 2:15. Help yourselves to anything in the fridge. If you need anything, and I mean anything, call me on my cell. I've also given you the school's number, Luke's cell number, and my parents' house number–"

"Haley," Sophia said, held out her hands. "I think we've got it."

"OK. Jamie's upstairs playing in his room." She made her way to the door, slipped on her heels, and grabbed her purse. "Thank you so much for this again." As quickly as she'd entered the room, Haley was gone.

DC and Sophia made their way upstairs to find Jamie playing with building blocks by his bed. "Hey, Jamie! Remember us?"

Jamie turned his little body towards the doorway. "Yeah!"

"We're here to watch you for a little bit. Would it be OK if we played with you?"

"Sure!"

"Great!" Sophia and DC knelt by Jamie's side.

"Whatcha got there?"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

With DC occupying Jamie, Sophia made her way downstairs to see Nathan still sprawled out on the couch. "Nathan," she said, cleared her throat. "Hey, Nathan."

Nathan's eyes blinked open, and he shifted his body on the couch. "Something wrong?"

Sophia's mind raced through all the ways she could have answered this question. _It's wrong that you're sitting here getting drunk, detached from your family. It's wrong that your son seems more comfortable around his uncle Lucas than he does around you. It's wrong that this is how you're choosing to deal with your pain. It's wrong that this is all too familiar._

"We're going to hangout by the pool with Jamie. Would you like to join us?"

"I'm fine here."

Sophia looked at him for a moment, yet couldn't keep his glance because he averted his eyes to his feet. "OK. We'll be right outside if you need anything."

Time flew by as both Sophia and DC kept a careful eye on little Jamie in the pool. Nathan didn't move from the couch. By the time Haley arrived, he was taking a nap, as Sophia and DC hung out downstairs.

"You two are staying for dinner, right?" Haley asked, slipping on an apron.

"Oh, we don't wanna be a bother," Sophia said.

"Don't be ridiculous. I insist." They chatted as Haley made dinner, a pasta bolognese dish, and soon everyone was seated at the table to enjoy the meal. Well, minus one person. "Nathan, dinner's ready," Haley said, standing over the couch.

He sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. "I'm not hungry," he said, his voice hoarse and scratchy.

"You need to eat something," Haley tried.

"I said I'm not hungry," he snapped, a certain iciness in his eyes that alarmed his wife. "Just eat without me."

Haley swallowed her words and simply nodded, turned around and left Nathan alone.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"I can't believe he just...didn't come to dinner," DC said. The two of them were upstairs hanging out in their room, waiting for Peyton and Brooke to come home.

"Yeah," Sophia muttered, putting her hair up in a messy ponytail. "Sound familiar?"

DC's expression grew serious, and he tilted his head in a slight nod. "Right. But…" he started gently. "Nathan really is nothing like our dad, Soph."

"How do you know?" she asked calmly, coolly."You saw him. Surrounded by empty bottles, just laying there taking his family for granted."

DC took a moment to respond. "I understand you're mad. Better than anyone–"

"You were too young to remember, D-"

"I remember." DC spoke with a finality that shocked even his sister. "You'd be surprised at how much I remember. Just...just try to separate the two situations. Not every guy that's in pain is our father. Nathan's different. You know he is."

A knock on the door startled them both. "It's Peyton! Haley told me you guys had dinner over there, but I brought dessert with me!"

"Come in," the two chorused, and Peyton entered carrying bowls of different flavors of ice cream.

"I've got chocolate chocolate chip, vanilla, and cookie dough," Peyton said. "Take your pick!" They settled on the bed, recalling their days to one another, Peyton going first. "I think I'm going to go ahead and start that record label."

The two kids cheered. "Alright, Peyton! That's awesome."

"What about your day! How was Nathan and Haley's?"

DC and Sophia looked at each other. "Uh…"

"What?" Peyton asked, growing wary. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing _happened_ per se. It's just...it's just that there's a lot of...tension there between Nate and Haley. Unresolved tension. He's a mess," Sophia said.

"He refused to eat dinner with us," DC added. "Haley seems...really sad."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The soft patter of Jamie's feet caused Nathan's eyes to flutter open. He remained on the couch, on an empty stomach. He faced his son, who looked at him, wide eyed and hopeful, clutching his favorite toy basketball. "Daddy," Jamie said, his voice so small and young. "Wanna play basketball?"

"No, not right now, Jamie," Nathan said, his voice rough and cracked.

"How come?"

"Because I can't!" Nathan yelled, and Jamie jumped back a bit. The running water from the sink came to a halt, and hurried footsteps entered the room.

"Jamie, baby," Haley soothed, "Why don't you go upstairs and I'll help you wash up for bed."

"But…"

"No buts. It's almost your bedtime and we still have to do some reading!" Haley smiled in the hopes of exciting her son.

"OK," Jamie said, and his little feet carried him out of the room and up the stairs.

Haley began picking up all the empty beer bottles that Nathan had drank. With her hands full, she turned to him. "What the hell is wrong with you? You won't even play with your son?!"

He turned slowly to his wife. "I told you I don't want Jamie playing basketball."

"Oh come _on,_ Nathan. He's four! He wants to play with you. All he wants to do is be like his dad–"

"Be like me?!" He began to shout. He gestured to his limp lower body, his scraggly hair, his beard, his empty eyes. "Be like this?! That is _bullshit,_ Haley! He doesn't wanna be like me!"

"That's not–"

"I don't want him playing! I don't want him anywhere near a hoop!"

"There are literally hundreds of other activities you could do with your son, and you won't even do those. Jamie needs his dad, and you're not...you're not _here,_ Nathan!" She wiped at a few tears on her face. "Real nice work, Dan." She carried the tray of beer bottles towards the kitchen, but suddenly turned around and hurled the bottles at her husband's head in an act of fury so rare, it would have scared her had she not felt so heartbroken.

Nathan jumped, but only the slightest bit. He turned to look at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Are you gonna say anything?! Or are you gonna just sit there like you have for the past four months, get drunk, maybe pout a little? Cry?" Her chest heaved with anger and hurt, as her throat constrained with the force of her yells.

Nathan turned around. "You don't get it, do you? I used to be somebody, Haley. Do you understand that? Do you understand what that means? I used to be _Nathan Scott,_ and I was great, and I should've walked away, OK? _I know that!_ But I _didn't_ do it, and now I'm nothing! And I have nothing!"

"You have nothing? You have a beautiful son who is here. I am here. You have got to figure out who you're going to be in this, Nathan, because this version of you _does not_ work for us! I _can not_ keep living like this; OK? Do you understand what I'm saying? One more night like this, Nathan, and I promise you, you will have nothing!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Both kids were fast asleep when Peyton heard someone knocking on the front door. She hurried downstairs, in her robe, to look through the eye hole and see Lucas standing on the other side. She wrenched open the door and asked, "Luke, it's late…"

"I know, I'm sorry...can I come in?"

"Sophia and DC are asleep," Peyton replied. "Here." She ushered Lucas outside and shut the door behind her. "What is it?"

Lucas sighed, took his hands out of his jeans pockets. "Peyton…I can't...I can't stop thinking about our kiss."

"Oh, God…" she breathed, ran her hands through her blonde hair. "Don't do this."

"Do what?" he asked, took one step toward her. "I don't understand."

"I don't either!" She said, exasperated. "What are we doing?"

"I don't know; what _are_ we doing?" he shot back. "All I know is we kissed, after all this time, and I can't get it outta my head." He looked at her, his eyes sad yet hopeful at the same time. "...I want to be with you."

An invisible weight lifted off her chest, and she could finally breathe. "...What?"

"I want to be with you. Screw wasting time and dancing around each other's feelings."

"What about–what about three years ago? In LA?" Tears filled her eyes. "Lucas, you walked out on us."

"I proposed to you. You said–"

"I remember what I said. _Someday._ I did NOT say no," she said, and began to cry. "You left anyway!"

Lucas held out his hands, almost in surrender. "OK. OK. Aw, Peyton…" He took a careful step towards her still. "You're right; I left. I was an idiot, and couldn't handle something I didn't want to hear. I'm so sorry." He swallowed. "We both hurt from it, but what do you say we just...just _move on_ from all that? I just want to be happy again, Peyton, and I think the only person on this entire fucking planet that can make me that happy is you."

She exhaled, and more tears fell. She wiped violently at her face. "Where is this coming from?"

"It's always been there." He shrugged. "I just tried to repress it, but seeing you on the River Court the other night...I can't run from it all anymore, can't hide behind the excuse of my ill thought out proposal in LA, and I don't–I don't want to." He took another step, and was close to her. "I want to be with you," he said, for the third time. "Do you want–"

"Yes," she cut him off. "Yes, I want to be with you, too." Her lips trembled, "But I'm scared."

"Don't be," he said, moved his hands to her slender waist. "I'm not gonna hurt you again. I promise." He moved to kiss her, and they stayed locked in an embrace, blissfully unaware of two pairs of young eyes watching them from Sophia's bedroom window.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-


	4. A Note from the author

December 30, 2018

Dear readers,

We are about to enter 2019, which will mark ten years since I published my very first fan fic, "Life is Beautiful," when I was only 14 years old.

A lot has changed since then, and my life is evolving still. I've grown so much as a writer, and more importantly as a person. That being said, it is time for me to move on and depart from this site, and from writing Fan Fiction altogether. I cannot fully express all that writing for this site has taught me, and how much I've improved because of it. Fan Fiction became my escape, my refuge, and a cathartic outlet. I can't say thank you enough for all it has given me, and I can't say _thank you_ enough to all of you as readers, for your constant support, feedback, insight, and criticism. It means the world.

I realize that I will be leaving others stories, like "Invictus: The Redux" unfinished. If any of you would like to continue this story or another under your username, please send me a private message and we can work something out.

I hope this isn't a huge disappointment to all of you. Please know that if you'd like to keep in touch somehow, you can follow my blog "The Spastic Diplege: cerebral palsy in canvas shoes," whose link I will share upon request.

I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year.

All my love,

M


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